"The world belongs to the divine, and all beings are the progeny of the gods, rendering the division of races unnecessary.
As a follower of the divine, all my actions must prioritize the interests of the divine!"
Huyan Wu spoke with utmost seriousness, his righteous demeanor unwavering.
"The Huyan clan faces impending calamity; if you could bestow upon us provisions, it would come at a negligible cost for your boundless loyalty.
From this moment forth, your praises will echo throughout the world!
Wherever you direct your gaze, the Huyan clan shall devote itself wholeheartedly to you!
What could be more rewarding than this?"
...
Outside, in his modest courtyard.
Wang Hui, having regained consciousness, found himself in a state between amusement and exasperation.
"They say wisdom comes with age, yet even the diminutive inhabitants of the microcosm can evolve into clever beings!"
Under the influence of the **Yin-Yang Fish**, Huyan Wu could not harbor any thoughts of defiance against Wang Hui.
However, retaining his original memories, he was still deeply attached to the Huyan clan.
As the creator of these fusion beasts, Wang Hui could easily dismiss Huyan Wu's request.
Yet, similar to his agreement with Zuo Qiu Yue in exchange for twenty years of protection with the sacred relic, the Huyan chief sought to mobilize his entire clan to serve Wang Hui in exchange for sustenance through the winter.
For Wang Hui, this was an exceedingly advantageous arrangement!
"According to Huyan Wu, the Huyan clan's population is roughly estimated at around twenty-eight thousand…"
As he contemplated this, a smile crept across his face.
A multitude of beings much smaller than ants, even if every one of them were to gorge themselves, how much food could they possibly consume over a winter?
Wang Hui glanced around and picked up the bag of bread crumbs he had just finished.
Inside, only a layer of fragments remained, yet in terms of volume, it was equivalent to dozens of "monstrous beasts" in the eyes of those little folk!
Standing beside the microcosm, he refrained from immediately distributing the food.
"Only by providing timely assistance can one achieve the best results; I shall wait a moment…"
Wang Hui closed the glass cover with a gap, restoring the flow of time within the microcosm to its original pace.
He did not simply wait idly; instead, he sat down and opened his phone to access Tao Bao.
"The more frequent the biological activities, the greater the output of source energy…
Such activities should not be confined solely to combat and labor.
If I can manifest more divine wonders within the microcosm, perhaps the spirits of the little folk will become more vibrant, yielding similar results."
To facilitate the fusion of Huyan Wu and the ants, Wang Hui had expended more source energy than he had on the griffin.
This was likely due to the high intellect of the human in the materials and the fact that the ants originated from the external world.
Fortunately, previous events—the clashes between the two clans at Pinchuan, Zuo Qiu Yue's raid on the Nalan clan, and the strategic wits exchanged between Huyan clan and the colossal ants—had provided Wang Hui with considerable additional gains in source energy.
His currently available source energy had dwindled to a mere 3%—further consumption might result in a drastic decline in his life level!
This was a long-term investment; the formidable Huyan Wu would loyally perform errands for Wang Hui to gather sky crystals.
Once the entire Huyan clan was mobilized, complemented by the efforts of the Nalan clan, Wang Hui's future supply of source energy would become a continuous stream!
He searched for micro-sculpture products on Tao Bao, pondering whether he could create some "wonders" in the microcosm to validate his conjectures…
Unbeknownst to him, over twenty minutes had passed; in the microcosm, more than twenty days had elapsed.
Heeding his father's "parting advice," Huyan Gui had shed his previous warlike tendencies and proactively sought peace with the Zuo Qiu clan.
In the process, he proposed bartering cowhide and wool for food and timber.
Given that the Huyan clan was in a more pressing situation, Zuo Qiu Yue easily negotiated an exceptionally favorable exchange rate.
This significantly bolstered her standing within the clan, making her succession to the leadership position all but certain!
However, Huyan Gui found himself troubled by the fact that the opposing side seemed to be fully aware of his vulnerabilities and refused to provide a substantial quantity of provisions in one go.
Every few days, only a few bags of coarse grains could be brought back by the trading clansmen.
As winter drew nearer, the available game on the prairie dwindled.
Should the Huyan clan continue to lack sufficient food during the harsh cold season, they would likely face a reduction of at least two thousand individuals!
As for the warhorses…
They represented a strategic resource far more valuable than human lives; slaughtering them for food would be an extravagant folly.
"Should we trade with the Nalan clan?"
Standing by the tent window, Huyan Gui gazed up at the gloomy sky, his expression equally bleak.
Though the Nalan clan had some rudimentary agricultural knowledge, their mountainous territory offered scant suitable farmland, barely allowing for self-sufficiency in food each year.
If the Huyan clan wished to complete a trade, it would likely require a considerable sacrifice!
"Father, is there truly no better way for our clan to survive?"
While Huyan Gui was lost in his troubled thoughts, he suddenly heard a sentinel shouting as he rushed in.
"Report—Chief! The old chief has returned!!"
"…Who?"
Huyan Gui was taken aback, doubting his own hearing.
"The old chief! It's the old chief!"
The sentinel exclaimed with fervor, "The old chief has become a servant of the divine—he claims he can provide us with an endless supply of food this winter!"
Before he could finish, Huyan Gui hurried out of the tent, only to be met by the imposing figure of the old chief striding into the clan's territory.
...
The old chief's "resurrection" sent waves of excitement throughout the Huyan clan!
After all, following the fierce battle at Pinchuan against the ant monster, the old chief had been on the brink of death.
Having already been in a frail state, he had suffered grievous injuries; even without divine punishment, he would have likely perished that very night.
Yet the reality was that he not only survived but emerged stronger than in his youthful prime!
The fusion with the ants had not altered Huyan Wu's appearance.
Thus, to his clan members, he simply appeared more robust, now adorned in a distinctive ebony armor.
Upon learning of the divine's demands, all eyes filled with anticipation turned towards Huyan Gui.
He hesitated not a moment longer, issuing orders for the entire clan to diligently seek out sky crystals!
Compared to the daily struggle for food on the prairie, which yielded scant rewards in the end, it was far more prudent to heed his father's suggestion and search for the sky crystals.
At least, hope had returned to the faces of the clan members, a welcome change after a long absence.
If the divine could revive someone destined to die, conjuring a bounty of food seemed less implausible!
From that day forth, apart from the elderly and infirm, most of the Huyan clan members rose with the dawn and returned home late at night.
According to the description of the sky crystals presented by Huyan Wu, they scoured the eastern plains with relentless fervor!
Though the Huyan clan lacked iron tools for deep excavation, the accumulation of source energy crystals over centuries allowed for some success in finding them near the surface if one searched diligently.
In just half a month, over one hundred sky crystals were unearthed by more than twenty thousand Huyan clan members working in shifts!
However, after this initial success, the rate of collection began to slow noticeably.
As temperatures dropped, the labor efficiency of the people inevitably declined.
With the soil gradually freezing hard, the inferior tools of the Huyan clan rendered further digging impossible.
Many labored for half a day only to return empty-handed.
Most concerning for everyone was the fact that the divine had not reappeared!
"Will food truly descend from the heavens?"
In recent times, many members of the Huyan clan had developed a habit of frequently gazing skyward.
Filled with anticipation, yet fearful of the despair that might await them…